American Avocets at the Wastewater

Dunlin, Bonaparte's Gulls and American Avocets

Muskegon Wastewater

 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Harbor Island

I was birding Harbor Island when I got a call from Ken Sapkowski about the American Avocets at the Wastewater; the same birds Tim Hawkins reported.  So I went up and took some pictures.  Thanks Ken and Tim.

- Charlie DeWitt 

Muskegon Pelicans and Avocets

Two Sunday Emails:

American White Pelican photos taken on Tuesday evening 4-23-19 a mile up the river from Muskegon Lake.  More than forty in one group.  Flew west on 4-24-19 and did not come back.  Had been around for a few days feeding on small fish.  I had seen pelicans the week before in Florida but was surprised to see this many here.

- Ken Bosma

There was a flock of about 14 American Avocets feeding in two of the flooded central fields north of the filtration lagoons at the Muskegon Wastewater Sunday afternoon. They were among a mixed group of Bonaparte's Gulls, Killdeer and others.  We saw them at about 3:00 p.m.

Cheers,

- Tim Hawkins

Yup. Mike's Bigfoot Is a Bear!

Before reading these two emails from Mike VanderStelt today, you might read his April 5 email posted below ("Of Birds and Bears").

1.  My Little Friend (12:14 p.m.):

The 21st, at 11:45 p.m., my backyard:

2.  Any Guesses on Size?  (12:17 p.m.):

The near edge of the birdbath is 23 inches tall and is 22 feet away from the game camera, the bear appears to be almost dead center between the two, and the game camera lens is 47 inches from the ground which is level.  I would estimate it is a little shy of just splitting the differences in height?

Your estimate sounds reasonable to me.  Others may want to guess its size.  Knowing that it's a bear, I don't care what size, I just know I don't want to stroll around your yard at night!  Thanks for sending!  - Ric  

Night-heron and Yellow-headed Blackbird

 Black-crowned Night-heron

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 Yellow-headed Blackbird

Great Egret

I birded Harbor Island for two hours this morning, 7:00 until 9:00, and had 30 species.  For me the two best birds were the Yellow-headed Blackbird on the soccer fields and the Black-crowned Night-heron in the cattails just north of the viewing platform by the soccer fields.

- Charlie DeWitt

Easter Morning, Afternoon and Evening

This morning Carol and I drove up to Loda Lake (near Brohman), first time there for both of us.  Not much bird life today but the area looked like it might attract some good species in the next few weeks.

The creatures above were crossing the field directly across the road from the Loda Lake Wildlife Sanctuary.  I think that's an adult Bigfoot (Sasquatch mythatorius) followed by two juvenile Black Bears (Ursa cardboardius).  They were moving so slowly that you might still be able to see them if you get up there sometime this year.

This afternoon Ruth Achterhoff-Aust emailed the following information and photos of American White Pelicans at Muskegon on April 18.  These may be of the same flock seen at Grand Haven (see April 14 post below).

Ric,

Ruth Achterhoff-Aust here.  You may/may not have heard of my recent sighting of a large flock of American White Pelicans on 4/18/19.  I posted it to my Facebook page as well as sharing it with other misc. bird and wildlife FB pages and photographic pages.  Wasn’t sure how to let you know about it, so ...

Here are a few images I snagged of the flock as they passed over Harbour Towne on Thursday.  The flock was really something to see.  Initially I thought I was simply watching the gulls from across the harbor, but something was ‘striking’ about this group!  They were doing murmurations, and the black/white flashes of their wings was truly something to behold.  I took pictures with an equivalent of a 600mm lens with a 1.4 teleconverter.  With that, it was difficult to get the whole flock in the same shot.  There were definitely at least 30 of them.  In some images I took, I count less than 30, and in some, more than 30.  That’s more of a lens issue.   

I hope they might still be somewhere in the area….Hoping to see them again.  Thought you’d be interested to know!

Thanks, Ruth!  Yes, I'm very interested to know.  At our club meeting on Thursday some of our members said they'd seen over 40 pelicans at Grand Haven on April 17.  There's a chance that some of these birds will stick around the area all summer, but who knows?  - Ric

This evening Carol noticed some Cedar Waxwings among the House Finches in our front yard dogwood tree.  (If I were counting, I'd have 90 Year Birds now.)

- Ric

Yellow-headed Blackbird at Grand Haven !

Our monthly field trip took 13 of us to Snug Harbor and Hofma Preserve this morning.  Around 10:15 as we were returning to our cars in the lot near the entrance to the Sims Power Plant, Dave Herdegen noticed a Yellow-headed Blackbird along the linear trail west of us.  It was of course the bird of the day for everybody and a Lifer for some! 

Yellow-rumped Warblers were thick at both locations!  

Other birds of note among the 43 species on the island were Pied-billed Grebe, Sora, Barn- Tree- and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, several Brown Creepers, Hermit Thrush, Field and American Tree Sparrows, plus a Palm Warbler.  Among its 23 species the preserve provided Blue-winged Teal, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets and a Swamp Sparrow.

The north wind was cold, but the sun shone all day and WOW! -- a Yellow-headed Blackbird!

- Ric

Black-crowned Night-heron at Lane's Landing

April 18 Email:

"No photos but I saw a Black-crowned Night-heron at Lane's Landing this morning."

- Mike Boston

Wednesday Birding

Common Loon

Smith's Bridge, Spring Lake

Feller and I birded MSGA Headquarters, Lane's Landing and the Wastewater.  At the MSGA HQ we drove right to the yellow gate and birded the south side of the Maple River.  About 100 meters down the trail we (I) heard a Ruffed Grouse drumming on the north side of the river at 8:05 a.m.  When we got to the open field, we had a flock of 12 Wilson's Snipe fly over.

At Lane's we didn't have anything special.  The road to the last yellow gate has many large potholes.

At the MCWW we had the usual birds, nothing special.  We did count 11 Horned Grebes on the two large lagoons.  On the south side of Apple we saw a flock of 7 Northern Flickers.  At the north end of Seba Road, where it turns east, we had 5 Vesper Sparrows.

On the way home I found the Common Loon.

- Charlie DeWitt

Raven and Pelicans on Saturday

Author Laura Erickson's presentation at the Fremont library this morning was very interesting.  Afterward some of us were able to bird with her at the DNR headquarters and the Wastewater properties.  Mrs. Erickson took several photos which she will post on her blog after she gets back to Minnesota; we may post some here later.

Our best sighting was a Common Raven harrassing a male Northern Harrier over the rapid filtration lagoons south of White Road west of the headquarters woods.

Later Ken Sapkowski phoned that many of the American White Pelicans (32 reported earlier by Dave Herdegen and Bonnie Kot) were still visible from the Spring Lake (north) side of the Grand River viewed from near the Leonard Street bridge.

- Ric

Eagle Captures Coot and More

April 11 Email:

I just thought I would share a few pictures.  I saw an amazing spectacle at the Wastewater as a Bald Eagle cornered and killed an American Coot very close to me today.   

I have also attached a photo of a Bonaparte’s Gull (there were at least seven of them at the WW today). 

The Ospreys also returned locally and this is one from Croton Dam. 

- Kevin Feenstra

Keven, great photos as always.  Thanks!   - Ric

Of Birds and Bears

April 4 Email:

Cold, blustery day at Muskegon Wastewater lagoons.  Redheads, Canvasbacks, beautiful male Wood Duck along with a single Eared Grebe.  - Mike Erickson

April 5 Email:

Bigfoot is alive and well.  He was also hungry last night, and in my back yard!  One of the neighbors at Stonegate also last night had a Black Bear come all the way up to the upper level of their deck.  

Oh, it ripped off the bird feeder and just walked away as they watched.  So I am assuming I have a bear friend that I have not met yet, and don't plan on doing soon. 

- Mike VanderStelt

Mike has set up a motion-detector camera in hopes of capturing an image of his new furry friend.  If he's successful, we will post that picture here as well!  - Ric

Harbor Island Friday Morning

 Bonaparte's Gull

 Pied-billed Grebe

 Lesser Scaup

 Sandhill Crane

 Bufflehead

Canada Goose

I am waiting for the warblers to show up.  I had my first Yellow-rumped Warbler show up on April 13 last year.

- Charlie DeWitt

Glaucous Gulls at Grand Haven

Glaucous Gull

Monday at 2:30 pm there were two Glaucous Gulls at Grand Haven State Park. 

- Charlie DeWitt